The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

 Junior Fantasy Fiction. This was a quick read about a brother and sister on holiday in England. They discover magical moles which allows them to time travel back a hundred years to meet the family who lived in the house they are renting for their holiday. It has a nice plot, but the story is so short that there isn't much character development which was a distraction for me. This reminded me a bit of the authors E. Nesbit and Edward Eager, whom I love, but the story needed twice as many chapters to do the plot justice. 

Recommend: Maybe

The Mad Wolf's Daughter by Diane Magras

 Junior Fiction Fantasy. Drest is the youngest daughter of the Mad Wolf, a raiding bandit, and she must rescue her father and all her brothers. This story is set in medieval Scotland and includes witches, healers, bandits, and one feisty twelve year old. This story moved quickly and I found myself finishing it in just a few hours. There is a sequel, The Hunt for the Mad Wolf's Daughter, which I immediately put on hold. Drest has a limited view of the world being brought up by her father and many brothers. She takes everything they say as the whole truth. In her brave adventures she learns that not everyone sees her family as she does and that her family may not be as perfect as she thought. At the same time she decides that she can be who she is because of herself and not because of her family's past. She learns that people can love and be imperfect. She learns to trust and be braver than she thought she could. Great story!

Recommend: Yes

At the Pulpit, Edited by Jennifer Reeder and Kate Holbrook

 Non-fiction history. This book highlights talks and discourses given by women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in a 185 year period, from 1831 to 2016. It starts with a short discourse by Lucy Mack Smith, mother of Joseph Smith, the prophet, and ends with a talk given by Gladys N. Sitati at a Brigham Young University Women's Conference in 2016. The women chosen to be included in this book vary from early pioneers in the United States to those of other countries, like Sister Sitati from Kenya. 

I enjoyed all these women and their viewpoints and found common ground no matter if they lived a hundred years ago or are still alive today. I found myself marking things they said and sharing them with my friends and family members. All were uplifting and edifying for me personally. Here are just a few of my favorites: 

"Faith comes through obedience" Kate M. Barker, 1937. 

"Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated, but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters?" Julie B. Beck quoting a talk given by Eliza R. Snow in 1869. 

"The truth of doctrine can be known only by revelation gained as a result of obedience." Ardeth G. Kapp, 1980. 

"...no matter what our office may be, we should do our part and do it cheerfully, and as we do one part, our responsibilities and talents will be added to, and we will go onward and upward as it is destined that we shall go." Amelia Flygare, 1916. 

"Earning happiness and contributing to the happiness of others should be the most important goal in our lives." Lucrecia Suarez de Juarez, 1972

Recommend: Yes

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

 Junior Fiction-Mystery. 1979 Newbery Medal Award. This has been a favorite book of mine since I was a child and I wanted to share that love with my kids, so I read it to them. An eccentric millionaire arranges for 16 people to move into an apartment complex he owns and then accuses one of them of killing him. If the others can solve the mystery then they inherit his huge fortune. The clues are convoluted and confusing at times and my kids could not see how some things fit together, but that's what makes a great mystery!  The ending was a delightful surprise for them. 

Recommend: YES!

The Princess Companion by Melanie Cellier

Teen Fantasy Fiction. The Princess Companion is a retelling of the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. I'm a great fan of fairy tale retellings, but have never read one of this particular fairy tale. I listened to the audio version over a period of a few days. This story kept taking my by surprise, I would think I knew where it was going and even stopped listening at one point for a short while because I thought I recognized the predictability of Alyssa, the main character. I was pleasantly surprised at each turn in the plot and whole heartedly enjoyed the unwinding of the tale. 

Recommend: Yes!

A Plethora of Regency Romances

 I find that when I'm feeling a bit stressed I turn to comfort food and comfort books. Since I'm trying to change my eating habits and be healthier I dove into four regency romance novels this past week. They are quick reads for me, especially the ones I've read before, but even with their predictability, they never fail to bring me some enjoyment and allow me to escape for a moment into another world.

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. When I was working at the Orem Public Library in Utah I was able to read this as an advanced readers copy, one that had not had the final edits in place. This is Donaldson's debut novel and she is adept at this genre. I have to put my favorite seal of approval on this one as I feel it excels above all other regency romances I've read and I have to admit I've read this one more than a few times. 

Marianne Davenport is 7 minutes younger than her twin sister, Cecilia. She has always let her sister get what she wants because of that 7 minutes. But this time there is something or someone they both want and Marianne is not about to come in second place again. Philip Wyndham is tired of young women and their mothers doing all they can to nab him and his inheritance, so he decides to run away from it all. He didn't count on meeting Marianne and is surprised that he wants to return home because of her. 

Donaldson wrote a short prequel to Edenbrooke, called Heir to Edenbrooke, which is the first few chapters of Edenbrooke from Philip's point of view. It doesn't need to be read first and is just as enjoyable. 

Recommend: Yes

Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden. This is a bit of a far fetched story about a wealthy man who kisses a stranger to squelch the advances of another woman he abhors. The results of this kiss impact his life dramatically and also the poor woman he kissed. Eden has written scores of titles, many of which I've read. I feel she does a good job of character development, even though the plot is a bit fantastic at times. 

Recommend: Yes

An Unlikely Match by Sarah M. Eden. This is the only book of the four I read that was new to me and it was the one that I enjoyed the least. This has a bit of a fantasy edge to it, which is different than Eden's other books. Nickolas Pritchard inherits a large estate in Wales. He gladly moves in and finds that his home was actually a historic castle and it is haunted by a very persistent and beautiful ghost. Her history is a bit of a mystery, but with the help of the local vicar he finds a way to save his beautiful damsel in distress. The plot was a good one, but I didn't feel a connection between Nickolas and the ghost. 

Recommend: Maybe

Books by Kasie West

 Maybe This Time.  By Your Side. Teen romance. 

On a long road trip to Utah my daughter, Lucy, and I spent an enjoyable time listening to two of Kasie West's books. Her teen romances have likable characters, not too much cheese, and just enough teenage angst to make things interesting. 

We started with Maybe This Time at the beginning of our trip. Sophie works at a flower shop in small town Alabama and dreams of being a design student after high school in New York City. Her best friend's father runs the only catering business in town. He is being mentored by a famous chef to help him grow his business and the chef comes with a son named Andrew. Sophie and Andrew don't get off to a good start with each other, but over the course of a year with many events, i.e. weddings, funerals, barbecues, parties, they start to see eye to eye. 

On our way home from Utah Lucy wanted to listened to another one of West's books. I let her choose and she chose By Your Side. I had already listened to this one and didn't mind listening a second time. Mostly because it centers around a girl and a boy locked in a library over Martin Luther King weekend. I mean, for a librarian, what better way to start a story!!  I especially liked the direction the plot led us. Autumn is a senior in high school and has a great group of friends. She doesn't always feel comfortable hanging out with them all the time because she suffers from anxiety. She hasn't told her friends about her condition because she wants them to treat her normally. The boy she spends a weekend in the library with, Dax, is the local "bad boy". At least that's the reputation he has. Autumn learns differently. Both Dax and Autumn learn to look at people in a more accepting way and to communicate their feelings with their friends and each other which leads them to see how much happier they can be. Great lesson!